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“Happy Anniversary!” Evan “Buck” Buckley crowed loudly as he entered the station 118 locker room.
Eddie Diaz looked up from where he was tying his boots, taking in Buck’s big smile and the white bakery box he held in his hands. His blue eyes were alight, curls loose and shining in light from the engine bay. He was dressed in his civilian clothes, duffle bag slung over his shoulders. In his other hand he held a tray with four coffees in it from the café they frequented.
“Anniversary of what?” Eddie asked, unable to keep the amused smile of his lips.
Buck’s smile didn’t falter as he made his way over to the bench. He sat down heavily next to Eddie on the bench, letting his duffel bag fall from his shoulder with a soft thump. He pressed the white box into Eddie’s hand, leaving no choice but for the single father to take it.
“I don’t know,” Buck shrugged easily. “Pick something.”
From behind them, Hen snorted loudly.
“You got an anniversary gift for an anniversary you don’t even have?” Chimney asked, giving Buck an incredulous look.
Buck grinned, dimples giving off his boyish charm. “We do. It says right there on the cake.” He looked back to Eddie, giving him a nudge. “Go on. Take a look.”
Baffled, but a little curious, Eddie settled the white bakery box on his lap. As he eased the lid back, he felt Hen and Chimney crowd behind him, peering over his shoulder. The lid fell back, revealing a beautiful looking cake. It smelled like chocolate and had beautiful, piped edges. In the middle, in beautiful script, was a chocolate plaque that read “Happy Anniversary!”
“See,” Buck grinned, nudging Eddie again. “Happy anniversary. Looks nearly as good as Hen’s cake guy.”
Hen hummed. “It does look pretty good. What flavour?”
“Don’t know,” Buck shrugged again. “But it smells great.” He leaned in closer to Eddie to peer at the cake more intently and gave a little sniff.
Eddie swallowed, heart beating a little faster in his chest. He could smell Buck’s shampoo this close and could feel the heat seeping into from Buck into his side. Eddie had learned very quickly that Buck’s idea of personal space was a little different than anyone else’s. How the tall man often swayed into Eddie’s side as they walked, arms brushing against one another. Eddie was sure that Buck was unaware of it and Eddie didn’t mind so he never brought it up.
“Smells like chocolate. Maybe with some rum?” Buck hummed appreciatively. “I can’t wait to find out!”
“Why,” Eddie drawled, looking at his best friend. “Would you buy a cake that said, “Happy Anniversary” on it?”
“And not ask about the flavour?” Chimney added.
Buck leaned out Eddie’s a space a little and Eddie resisted the urge to pout as the sudden loss of warmth.
“Oh, I didn’t buy it,” Buck said. “As I was leaving with the coffee’s – oh here!” Buck quickly handed the tray to Hen who took it easily. “So, as I was leaving, this lady just shoved it into my hands.”
Hen frowned as she passed a coffee to Chimney. “She just gave it to you?”
“Yeah. Said she didn’t want to waste a perfectly good cake because some guy couldn’t take a hint,” Buck said, reaching down to open his duffle bag. “She said either I took it, or it was going in the trash.” When he straightened and saw all three of them staring at him, he frowned. “What?”
“Unbelievable,” Chimney scoffed and then strode out of the locker room.
Hen shook her head, placed the two remaining coffee’s beside Eddie and then followed her best friend out of the room.
Buck pouted at Eddie, looking lost. “What?”
“Only you,” Eddie chuckled.
“It’s free cake,” Buck protested. “And she seemed pissed, Eddie! I didn’t want to get on her bad side.”
Eddie chuckled, carefully placing the cake on the bench, closing the lid once more. “Thanks for the coffee. And the anniversary cake even though we don’t have anything to celebrate.”
“We should,” Buck said.
“Should what?” Eddie asked.
“Have something to celebrate,” Buck grinned.
“Oh yeah?” Eddie cocked an eyebrow. “And what should we celebrate?”
Buck gave a small hum. “Well, I was hoping we could celebrate us.”
Eddie breath caught in his chest as Buck pressed closer. Intention was written in every small movement Buck made. The way Buck’s hand carefully took Eddie’s in his, resting them on his thigh, linking their fingers together. The way Buck was pressed from shoulder to hip to thigh to toe.
There was a smile on Buck’s lips, soft but full of nerves.
Eddie swallowed again, fingers tightening around Buck’s. It might have taken Eddie a hot minute to realise that his feelings towards Buck were not strictly platonic. A few emergency sessions with Frank and an honest conversation with Christopher had him realising that he had been feeling something romantic towards Buck for far longer than he realised. It had taken him a while to sort it out in his head, to unlearn the teachings that had been drilled into him since childhood and accept that he was in fact head over heels in love with Buck.
Once he had accepted it, he started to see that his romantic feelings were perhaps not as one sided as he had initially feared. At first, Eddie thought he was seeing things that he wished was there. When Buck came over to cook him and Chris dinner; the way Buck would tease him sounded like flirting, the way Buck’s legs would bump his under the table like he just wanted an excuse to touch Eddie. The way they sat on the couch, Buck’s arms stretched across the back of the couch, fingers brushing Eddie’s neck.
Things Buck had done before Eddie had realised; he was in love with his best friend.
Except…
Eddie caught the stares that Buck sent him because he was now looking right back. He caught the delightful flush on Buck’s cheeks when Eddie found ways to touch him. He caught the way Buck’s fingers lightly grazed his as he passed the beer bottle over.
Now, in the middle of the locker room with glass walls, Buck’s face was inching closer and closer, giving Eddie plenty of time for Eddie to pull away.
Eddie didn’t. Instead, he cupped Buck’s face, pulling him into a kiss he had been dying to give the man for weeks. He sighed as their lips pressed against one another, cradling Buck’s cheeks gently.
Eddie might have pictured their first kiss many times, but nothing could compare to how Buck’s lips moulded perfectly against his own. How Buck would shift, angling his lips and slanting his lips over Eddie’s in the most perfect way that Eddie’s heart beating rapidly in his chest and thinking oh, this is what it means to be kissed.
It felt like an eternity wrapped up in a second. Eddie heard the whine when their lips parted and flushed when he realised it had come from him. He could hardly feel embarrassed, not with the way Buck was looking at him. Like he had just won the lottery, he smile the brightest Eddie had ever seen it before, cheeks flushed a delicious pink.
All from one kiss.
Buck sighed. “Thank God.”
Eddie snorted and then laughed. “What?”
“Well, I thought you felt the same way,” Buck said. “And then I thought maybe I was reading into things! But then, you were flirting back and Maddie pointed out we’ve basically been dating this whole time, just not having se-“
Eddie slapped a hand over Buck’s mouth. “Please don’t discuss our sex life with your sister.”
Buck eyes widened and then he nodded.
Eddie dropped his hand, giving Buck a fond look. Before he could think, the words were slipping through his lips. “I love you.”
Buck’s whole body relaxed, his smile bright, eyes sparkling. “I love you too. Happy anniversary.”
Eddie laughed, loud and unabashed. He leaned in close, pressing another kiss to Buck’s lips. “Happy anniversary.”